Impact tool



March 4, 1952 c. D. WILLIAMS IMPACT TOOL Filed May 22, 1948 CHARLIE D. WILLIAMS A T TORMY Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a nail driving device. More particularly the invention relates to a device for driving nails and tacks incomparatively inaccessible places and to replace aconventional hammer in such application.' "Devices of this character are commonly referred to as tube hammers.

The tube hammer of the invention comprises broadly an adjustable, elongated sleeve, a driving pin slideable in the sleeve, a hand grip afilxed to an end of the pin extending from the sleeve, and means mounted within the sleeve to prevent withdrawal of the pin therefrornj.`

.In one embodiment of the invention a removable foot is provided on an end of the sleeve opposite the hand grip. The foot has an enlarged flat face transverse to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve and covering the eri'd edge of the sleeve. The foot is employed generally in connection with finish work to prevent marring of the wood. In a preferred form the foot has a second flat face which may be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, i. e. perpendicular to the flrstmentioned face.V Alternatively, the second flat face may be inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve. In this latter case, the second face and the first mentioned face may include either an acute or an obtuse angle.

yond the face of the foot. This is accomplished` by shortening the sleeve an appropriate amount.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will .be more clearly understood with reference to the following detailed description thereof taken in' i conjunction with the 'accompanying drawing in which: "l l Fig. 1 is an elevation view of the tube hammer as it might be applied in installing base shoe;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the tube hammer; l

Fig. 3 isa detailed sectional lelevation showing the functioning of the srlubber spring in the sleeve; 2

Fig. 4 isa top view of one formgot foot:

Fig. Sisfa side elevation of eri? alternative form oi foot; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a foot modified by the application of a rubber surface to the flat transverse face.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, the ltube hammer of the invention includes a sleeve I0, which comprises an elongated tube II, telescoping into a shorter tube I2. The tube I I is threaded at its upper end to screw into internal threading in the tube I2. A lock nut I4 holds tubes II and I2 in fixed relationship.

The upper end of the tube I2 is threaded to receive an enlarged collar I6.

A driving pin I8 is slideably mounted in the tube I2 and includes an elongated shank I9 and an enlarged head 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the shank I9 may be press i-lt into ,the head 20. Alternatively the shank may be threaded into 'the head or may be spot welded thereto.

The upper end of the shank I8 is provided with a Weighted hand grip 22 which is shaped to fit snugly in the hand and which hasV annular lips 23, and 24 at the top and bottom respectively to prevent the users hand from slipping olf the grip.

A helical spring 26 is disposed Within the upper end of the tube I2 around the shank I9, 'I'he spring 26 supports an annular washer 21 at its lower end through which the shank I9 is freely slideable. As shown in Fig. 3 when the shank I9 is raised in the sleeve I0, the shoulder 20A formed between the shank and the head 2l) engages the washer 21. Further retraction of the driving pin compresses the spring 26. Retraction of the pin is snubbed by the spring. In this manner I have eliminated jumping which will occur if the shoulder 20A is allowed to impinge directly on the collar I6.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the collar IB is provided with an annularI resilient washer 30 bonded to its upper face so as to reduce the shock consequent upon impingement of the hand grip against the collar.

Although not a necessary feature of the invention the head 20 of the driving pin is preferably magnetized so that the head of a nail, tack or the like may be held there again, prior hammering it into the wood. This is a common practice in conventional tube hammers.

As hereinbefore described the tube hammer includes a removable foot 32 which is generally frusto-conical or bell shaped. The foot is provided with a bore 33 of substantially the same diameter as the tube 2U. The lower end of the bore 33 isrestrlcted by an inwardly projecting annular lip 3 4 which reduces the size of the bore to the insidediameter of the tube I I. The upper 2,587,944 ifi* edges `of the foot are slotted at 35 and 38 so that the foot may be snapped on and off of the sleeve I0.

The foot has a flat bottom face 38 which lies in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve I and which bears against the wood or other material in which the nail is to be driven. The relationship of the foot is illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein the tube hammer is shown in the position to drive a finishing nail into a base shoe 40 at the juncture of a wall 4I and a oor 42. The increased area of contact between the tube hammer and the material into which the nail is to be driven which is afforded by the flat :face38 of the foot substantially eliminates marring of the wood. In using the hammer for rough work the foot 32 may be removed from the end'of the hammer if desired. K

In the foot shown in Figs. l, 2 and 4 a second flat face 44 is formed on a side of the foot in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube I0, i. e. perpendicular to the plane of the base 38. This second flat face permits closer placement of a nail with respect` to a vertical surface without appreciably reducing the benecial effects of the foot. An alternative embodiment of the foot as shownin Fig. 5'includes a second iiat face 46 inclined toward the longitudinalaxis of the sleeve and'including an obtuse angle with a first transverse iiat face41. This type of foot nds vapplication in corner hammering as for exampleinstallation of base shoe.v The inclined face 46 may be placed Vagainst the wall, as for example .the wall 4I, each time'anail is driven to insure that each nail will. be driven at the same angle and at the same relative position in the base shoe. Alternatively, the second face may be inclined toward the longitudinal axis of the sleeve in the opposite direction so. as to include an acute angle with the bottom face.

' 'To further eliminate Vany marring of finished surfaces the foot 32 may be provided with an annular rubber gasket 48 bonded to ther transverse ilat face 38. (See Fig. 6.)

When the foot 32 is used, the distance between the upper face of the stop or collar I6 and the working surface is increased by the thickness of the annular lip 34. To permit flush driving of a nail the sleeve I0 is shortened by screwing the 'tube Il further into the tube I2 to reduce-the 'overall length by an amount equal to the thickness of the lip r34. To accomplish this adjustment the lock nut I4 is backed away from the tube I2, the tube II is threaded farther into the tube I2, and the lock nut is retightened to hold the tubes II and I2 in the new position. Similarly, when Athe foot as shown in Fig. 6 is employed, the tube must be shortened sufliciently to compensate for the thickness of the gasket 48 as well as the lip 34. Thus the foot would be in effect inoperative in the absence of provision for variable adjustability of the sleeve I0.

1t is apparent from the foregoing description of the construction and operation of the tube hammer of the invention, that it possesses many features which Vdiierentiate it from the conventional tube hammer. Thus it is provided with (1) a variable stroke adjustment whereby the driving stroke may be varied throughout a range by adjustment of the tube length, (2) an internal snubber spring which reduces the impact of the driving pin on its up stroke, and (3) a finish foot which' prevents marring and which is usable by reason. vof .the adjustability of the driving Stroke.

' `I claim: i

A device for drivingnails comprising an elongated sleeve adjustable With respect to its length including a first elongated tube threaded externally at oneend; -a ysecond tube threaded internally at one endY and externally at the opposite end, the rst tube being lthreaded into one end of the second tube and; adjustable therein, a lock nut threaded onto the rst tube and adapted to fix the relative positions offth'ezrst and second tubes, andan enlarged vcollar Vthreaded onthe opposite end of the-second tube, a driving pin slideablein the tubes through the collar, a hand grip affixed towa'n end of= the-pin extending from the tubes, and resilient stop means disposed within the'larger of-.sai'd two 'tubes and adapted to prevent v'vitlid'rawal.A ofthe pin therefrom.

YCHARLIE D. WILLIAMS.

l REFERENCES CITEDv The following references are of record in the file oi this-patent: s l Y UNITEDLSTATESPATENTS Number Name Date 538,508 Eberhait Apr.' 20, 1895 620,426 Banzer' Feb. 28, 1899 932,920 Umback Aug. 31, 1909 990,006 Reading Apr. 18,1911 1,500,253 Miller -1- v July 8, 1924 2,078,012. Newell Apr. 20,1937 2,301,888 1942 2,353,559 1944 Y FOREIGN PATENTS Number l .Country Date 61,358 -Germany .Mar. 3, 1892 4186.564 Germany Nov. 18, 1929 826,409

France Jan. 4, 1938 

